This invention relates to a recording and reproducing system whose typical example is an electronic still camera, in which video signals and audio signals are recorded, in combination, on coaxial tracks of a magnetic disk. The present disclosure relates to the subject matter contained in Japanese patent application No. Hei. 2-42187 (filed on Feb. 22, 1990) which expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Electronic still cameras are designed to record video signals and audio signals on a magnetic disk. More specifically, in a normal mode, the video signals and the audio signals are recorded independently of each other. In contrast, in an AV mode, the video signals and the audio signals are recorded in combination. Therefore, the video signals and audio signals recorded in the normal mode are reproduced separately, and the video signals recorded in the AV mode are reproduced simultaneously when the corresponding audio signal is reproduced.
In a conventional electronic still camera, audio signals recorded in a plurality of tracks can be provided for a video signal recorded in a single track, but video signals recorded in a plurality of tracks cannot be provided for an audio signal recorded in a single track. Hence, it is rather difficult to successively reproduce different video images for different periods of time while an audio signal having an arbitrary length is being continuously reproduced.